A B C D E F

How far
Indicate
Knowled
think you
ge (K),
Compete
Skills (S) Describe competence element
nce
or
developed
Attitude(
A)
Social Practises – Understanding
the theory of social practise
Awareness of religious, ethical and
national backgrounds will benefit
you as an employee (Shin & Kelly,
2013).
K 4
Intercult
ural
Compete
Reflective Observation –
nce
By shadowing employers or
working alongside employees of a
different culture you are able to
observe how a diverse organisation
S works (Losada, 2004). 4 working with.
Tolerance/Respect –
Cultural barriers can be difficult to
overcome. Therefore, tolerance is
key as you must be open to new
learning styles and working
practises even if it’s not what
A you’re used to (Ansmann, 2014). 2
do you
have How do you know you are at that level? What evidence
already you have that you developed to that extent?
in this
area?
As London is a cosmopolitan city I have endured
challenges in working with other nationalities. For
example, living in student accommodation with girls from bitterness.
other countries. Their habits and rituals are very different  Explaining that my culture and boundaries are different from
from my own and at times there has disputes over the
sharing of food. They are of a collectivist culture and have them/ an underlying reason as to why I don’t want to share, it’s
no issue with sharing everything. As I am British I have
more boundaries lines and what is mine is mine.
Therefore, the Chinese girls wrongly assumed that
because they share everything in the fridge I would also
share everything. This highlights a different social
practise, which is not wrong, just different from my own.
Participating in group work at university has proven that
students who have different cultural backgrounds work
differently to how I work. Undertaking group work on a
regular basis in seminars I can see that my approach to
working with others changes depending on who I’m
In the past 4 months I have had to overcome cultural
barriers such as language and work ethic. Although
challenging, I feel my tolerance and respect towards
students of other cultures has developed. I have
encountered some difficulty for example: one student
had a more relaxed approach to group work where as I
feel strongly that attendance and effort is vital when you
are relying on work being completed by other group
members.
How do you plan to continue developing in this area? Indicate
some concrete actions.
 An action to prevent any conflict arising would be to talk openly
to the other party and not let the issue fester and cause
theirs will help them understand better that it is not that I dislike
the culture and norms that have been instilled in my upbringing.
 Written reflection will improve my intercultural competence - by
taking notes on different situations for example group tasks. In
the future, if I encounter any difficulties working with other
cultures I will refer back to my notes and see how I dealt with
issues in the past and not make the same mistakes again.
 Taking time to research their culture and try to understand
different needs and means used to reach common goals in the
workplace that may be different to my own.
 This will help recognise the most appropriate ways of working
and dealing with colleagues.
 I feel that keeping a diary would help me reflect on times where
my tolerance levels were low. If I can figure what it is in other
cultures that I find frustrating, then in the future I can focus on
eliminating this because I am taking time to reflect.
 I can make a conscious effort to involve myself in their culture to
show I am not opposed to their norms. For example, by
celebrating their holidays and religious celebrations also suggests
that Even though I’m from a different culture I am not opposed to
theirs, just because my work ethic and habits differ.